III

by The Lumineers

Overview

III is a prosaic title for a release as ambitious as the Lumineers' third effort. The numeric title carries a double meaning: the album is a song cycle told in three parts, with the first two available as a digital EP prior to the September 2019 release of III. Through these three chapters, the Lumineers tell a tale of the long-lasting ramifications of addiction and co-dependence. The ten ruminative songs (the deluxe edition adds three bonus tracks, including a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Democracy" and the slight sketch "Soundtrack Song") are collectively a far cry from the rousing stomp of "Ho Hey." Tempos rarely quicken and the arrangements often do little more than gently cradle the plaintive voice of Wesley Schultz. When the record does get a little lively, as it does on "It Wasn't Easy to Be Happy for You" and the searching closer "Salt and the Sea," there's still a melancholy undercurrent tying the whole record together. Schultz and co-writer Jeremiah Fraites etch telling details into their story that make the sadness seem earned and realized, if lugubrious. III moves at a deliberate, nearly dreary pace that forces a listener to pay attention, and while it can take some effort to meet the Lumineers on their own terms, it's nevertheless easy to admire the ambition behind the project. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/13/2019
Label:	DUALTONE MUSIC GROUP
UPC:	0803020195127

Tracks

1. Donna
2. Life in the City
3. Gloria
4. It Wasn't Easy to Be Happy for You
5. Leader of the Landslide
6. Left for Denver
7. My Cell
8. Jimmy Sparks
9. April
10. Salt and the Sea
11. Democracy
12. Old Lady
13. Soundtrack Song

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Lumineers   Primary Artist
David Baron   Harmonium,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Webb Sisters   Vocals (Background)
Simone Felice   Maracas,Vocals (Background)
Oleg Kondratenko   Conductor
Macedonian Radio Symphony Orchestra   Orchestra
Wesley Schultz   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Lauren Jacobson   Violin,Vocals (Background)
Jeremiah Fraites   Drums,Piano,Guitar,Cymbals,Scraper,Tambourine,Vibraphone,Synthesizer,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Byron Isaacs   Bass,Vocals (Background)
The Webb Sisters   Vocals (Background)
Anneke Schaul-Yoder   Cello,Yodeling

Technical Credits

Tom Hagerman   Recording Arranger,Arranger
David Baron   Mixing,Arranger,Engineer,Recording Arranger
Simone Felice   Producer
Philip Muellerschoen   Marketing
Pete Hanlon   Engineer
Darren Heelis   Engineer
Connor Milton   Assistant Engineer
F.A.M.E.'s Project   Engineer,Orchestration
Wesley Schultz   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Jeremiah Fraites   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Leonard Cohen   Composer
Ryan Hewitt   Mixing,Engineer
Will Duperier   Assistant Engineer
Cole Stokley   Marketing
Dylan Nowik   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Max Knies   Photography
Tomas Cristobal Patlan   Portrait Photography
Kevin Phillips   Photography
Nicholas Sutton Bell   Creative Director
Alen Adzi Stefanov   Engineer
Will Dupree   Assistant Engineer